Music Video Review: ScHoolboy Q

Artist: ScHoolboy Q

Director of Video: Jack Begert and The Little Homies

Record Label: Top Dawg Entertainment

Rating: 5/5

photo courtsey of i.ytimg.com/

In case you missed it, at the beginning of the April, TDE artist ScHoolboy Q blessed us with a single and music video, “Groovy Tony” from his anticipated album which dropped on April 4. Q has mostly been silent since he dropped Oxymoron in 2014; mostly appearing in features with different artists.
“Groovy Tony” is our protagonist; a drug dealer and murderer; to quote the track, “devil in all blue” and “Groovy Tony no face killer.” “Tony” is a theme in hip-hop used by multiple artists and can be drawn to Al Pacino’s Scarface character Tony Montana as Q continually raps about stacks of cash, narcotics and murder; all qualities of Montana. The track opens up with a buzzing bass riding in the background partnered with a sharp snare drum while the keyboard/synth provides a ghoulish tone. Q spits aggressive bars while female background singer sooths the words “Blank Face”.
Visually, the video is dark, creepy and chilling; essentially like a nightmare. From the start, the video begins with a first person view from Groovy Tony (ScHoolboy Q) dragging a faceless victim through a junkyard littered with scuttled automobiles. More of these faceless victims begin to appear as Tony makes his way to a towering pile of bodies. Blank faces are the theme of this video as Tony himself is faceless while assumingly taking lives in a shot of him firing an AK in slow motion. More shots of relentless behavior ensue as the video continues as Tony is revealed to be living in the junkyard with his woman surrounded by his chaos; crawling from a burning car surrounded by money with faceless imprints; lighting a joint on his burning arm and eventually walking from a warehouse where one of his victims is shown hung from the ceiling; all of this further cementing Tony’s demonic presence.
Overall, the music video is the perfect marriage to the vicious lyrics of the track. Q is absolutely in form in his return to the limelight, showing that he still possesses the killer flow that made him distinguishable. In comparison, for newcomers and fans alike, one could group the track with his previous work like “The Purge,” “Hoover Street” and “Prescription/Oxymoron.” Q’s new album has been building hype and “Groovy Tony” added to the fire.